Living Hopefully in a Hopeless World

Christians Live Hopefully!

6,000 Plus Illustrations for Communicating Biblical Truths (Kept Alive by Hope)

A few years ago the psychology department of Duke University carried on an interesting experiment. They wanted to see how long rats could swim. In one container they placed a rat for whom there was no possibility of escape. He swam a few moments and then ducked his head to drown. In the other container they made the hope of escape possible for the rat. The rat swam for several hours before finally drowning. The conclusion of the experiment was just the opposite of our common conclusion. We usually say, “As long as there is life, there is hope.” The Duke experiment proved, “As long as there is hope, there is life.”

Hope is more fleeting today than at any point in our lifetimes. Many people are disappointed, discouraged, and even depressed by circumstances.

Inflation is high.

The economy is tanking. Car dealers that normally sold 40 cars a month are now only selling 6. Chip shortages and labor issues.

Our government leaders have gone insane with debt spending in the hopes of making the economy not crash as hard.

Suicides in the military are up 16 percent.

People are loosing their jobs. The mandates are killing businesses. Restaurants in NYC are reporting a 60 percent loss in business.

People are afraid of Covid. People are afraid of the covid shot. Both have “Scientific” reasons for both. Liberty of conscience is being denied by many “leaders.”

Then the normal aspects of life: loss of a loved one, Family, relationships, work, service, health: both mind and body. Someone told me yesterday “It is hard getting old.” So true.

Our bodies may decline physically. our minds may decline or disease overwhelm them. Remembering things gets more difficult. “What was I talking about?”

BUT WHILE TIMES ARE TOUGH for many, the CHRISTIAN can take COURAGE in CHRIST! We have something that NONE can take away from us: HOPE!

Ephesians 2:11–13 AV

Wherefore remember, that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands; That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world: But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.

These verses are true for all people without Jesus as their savoir. Paul was speaking to the Christians in Ephesus about the lost gentiles around them who were living with NO HOPE.

Some early Jewish Converts to Christianity were slow to accept uncircumcised gentiles as Christians. One did not need to convert to Judaism to trust in the Jewish Messiah.

There is a BEFORE and AFTER Teaching pattern that Paul uses in this encouraging instruction. BEFORE JESUS you were one way. AFTER JESUS you are another way.

Like Mary Magdalene testifying of Jesus in the Chosen:

“I was one way… and now I am completely different. And the thing that happened in between… was Him.” - Mary Magdalene (CHOSEN)

SEE VIDEO CLIP FROM THE CHOSEN.

A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament (ἐλπίς)

HOPE = (of the heathen) having no hope (of salvation)

1 Thessalonians 4:13 AV

But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.

BEFORE Faith in Jesus, a Man/Woman is...

A Person with No Savoir. (Christ) 12/13

A Person with No Country. (Aliens) 12/19

A Person with No Family. (Strangers to Covenant of Promise - to Abraham about family!) 19

A Person With No Hope. 12/18

A Person With no (Legitimate) God in this World. 12/13-18.

Practical Illustrations: Romans 7-151: God Is the God of Hope (Hope)

Because God is the God of hope, even sickness and death cannot quench the spirit of a strong believer.

In 1997 the journal of the American Heart Association reported on some remarkable research. According to the Chicago Tribune, Susan Everson of the Human Population Laboratory of the Public Health Institute in Berkeley, California, found that people who experienced high levels of despair had a 20 percent greater occurrence of atherosclerosis [sic]—the narrowing of their arteries—than did optimistic people. “This is the same magnitude of increased risk that one sees in comparing a pack-a-day smoker to a non-smoker,” said Everson. In other words, despair can be as bad for you as smoking a pack a day!

That is just one more reason why God calls us to choose hope and faith. The Christian life contributes to good health, for God gives us a legitimate basis for hope.

We may never know all the benefits of serving the Lord. But we can know with certainty that our hope in the Lord is never misplaced. Furthermore, that hope has a positive impact on every area of our lives. What a promise! What an awesome God!

BUT WE MET JESUS. AFTER JESUS WE ARE DIFFERENT:

Christians Live Hopefully!

CHRISTIANS ARE PEOPLE WHO:

We Know The Savoir. (Christ) 13

Made Nigh.

He Preached To Us. 17

He is the Cornerstone of our Faith. 20-21

Knight’s Master Book of New Illustrations (I Know that It Does)

A preacher was speaking from the text, “The blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.” Suddenly he was interrupted by an atheist who asked, “How can blood cleanse sin?”For a moment the preacher was silent; then he countered, “How can water quench thirst?”“I do not know,” replied the infidel, “but I know that it does.”“Neither do I know how the blood of Jesus cleanses sin,” answered the preacher, “but I know that it does.”

The blood of Jesus appeases or satisfies the judgment of God.

Sin has a price tag that someone must pay.

Jesus paid it All!

We Know The Savoir. (Christ) 13

We Have a Heavenly Home. (Saints) 19

A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament (πολιτεία)

Commonwealth = spoken of the theocratic or divine commonwealth.

We did not get into Judaism, We got “into” Jesus! We have a heavenly home.

Hebrews 11:14–16 (AV)

For they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country. And truly, if they had been mindful of that country from whence they came out, they might have had opportunity to have returned. But now they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city.

We are fellow citizens! We are loving God, and serving God TOGETHER as a motivated people all connected by Jesus.

This WORLD IS NOT OUR HOME.

We need our jobs, our houses, clothing, food and the basic stuff of life, but we are passing through!

There is MORE to life than the STUFF of Life!

We Know The Savoir. (Christ) 13

We Have a Heavenly Home. (Saints) 19

We Have a Spiritual Family. (Household) 19

Strangers from the covenant of promise in verse 12 is a reference to Abraham. Abe’s family.

“And the angel of the LORD called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham: and he said, Here am I. And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me. And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold behind him a ram caught in a thicket by his horns: and Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering in the stead of his son. And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovahjireh: as it is said to this day, In the mount of the LORD it shall be seen.” (Genesis 22:11–14, AV)

“And the angel of the LORD called unto Abraham out of heaven the second time, And said, By myself have I sworn, saith the LORD, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son: That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies; And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice.” (Genesis 22:15–18, AV)

The Household of Faith is Our Family.

Whoever has called on Jesus for Salvation is our brother and sister in Christ.

God is our Heavenly Father.

Today's Best Illustrations, Volumes 1-4 (Dependence on a Heavenly Father)

My dad wasn’t just a great father, but we had a particular personality match that made us click with each other. He was a model for me like few sons have. When I got that phone call—unexpected, nine o’clock in the morning, September 28—from my brother Dan, who said, “Bill, Dad just died,” my world caved in. That next six months I found out that my ultimate sufficiency is not in an earthly father, but my heavenly Father. He makes up for earthly-father losses. I wasn’t abandoned. My roots went down deeper, and my trust grew. My dependency on the Lord developed. That was the biggest loss I’ve experienced to date, and it served me well.

We Know The Savoir. (Christ) 13

We Have a Heavenly Home. (Saints) 19

We Have a Spiritual Family. (Household) 19

We Have TRUE Hope. 18

My Hope Is Built on Nothing Less or On Christ The Solid Rock I Stand is the best-known hymn of Edward Mote who wrote it in 1834. The original title of this hymn was, "The Immutable Basis for a Sinner's Hope".

1 My hope is built on nothing less

than Jesus' blood and righteousness;

I dare not trust the sweetest frame,

but wholly lean on Jesus' name.

Refrain:

On Christ, the solid rock, I stand;

all other ground is sinking sand,

all other ground is sinking sand.

2 When darkness veils his lovely face,

I rest on His unchanging grace;

in every high and stormy gale,

my anchor holds within the veil.

We Have The Savoir. (Christ) 13

We Have a Heavenly Home. (Saints) 19

We Have a Spiritual Family. (Household) 19

We Have TRUE Hope. 18

We Have a Relationship with God. 13-18

A God of Peace. 14-15

Today's Best Illustrations, Volumes 1-4 (Peace with God)

“Peace with GodWithout justification it is impossible to have real peace. Conscience forbids it. Sin is a mountain between a man and God, and must be taken away. The sense of guilt lies heavy on the heart and must be removed. Unpardoned sin will murder peace. The true Christian knows all this well. His peace arises from a consciousness of his sins being forgiven, and his guilt being put away … He has peace with God, because he is justified.”—J.C. Ryle

A God of Reconciliation. 16

A God of Accessibility. 17-18

Practical Illustrations: Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians (9-274: Holding on to the Peace of God (Peace))

Have you ever tried to squeeze a wet bar of soap? It tends to shoot right out of your hands, doesn’t it? It is kind of like the peace of God—one minute you think you have it and the next minute it’s gone! But the problem isn’t with the soap or with God’s peace—the problem is with our grip. Is there a secret that could help us hold on to the peace of God—regardless of the circumstances? The answer is yes!

Keep Holding on to Jesus - He is OUR Peace!

A God of Relationship. 19, 22

His Spirit dwells in Us.

We may not see God, but we can sense God.

We can know God through the pages of Scripture.

CONCLUSION:

New Cyclopaedia of Prose Illustrations (3053. Hope, Extent Of)

The world dares say : “dum spiro spero” (whilst I breathe, I hope); but the children of God can add, by virtue of this living hope, “dum expiro spero” (whilst I expire, I hope).

Will life be difficult? YES.

Could life become more difficult for the Christian? YES.

The world will get worse and worse. Satan will wage his war against Christians.

but Christians can live hopefully!

We have something the lost people do not have when times are tough...

RESPONSE: WHAT CAN WE DO TO MAINTAIN OUR HOPE?

Remember Who You Are in Jesus. 2:11

Read the Scriptures.

Rely on God in Prayer.

Reunite with Christians Weekly. “Fit, growing Together” 21

Rekindle passion for Christ with Music. Eph. 5 mentions using music to teach and encourage yourself.